Date: Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:34:55 GMT
-------------- BEGIN bread-bakers.v109.n015 --------------
001 - "Mary Fisher"
Subject: RE: starter
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:49:15 +0100
Werner Gansz said:
>Building a new fully usable starter from scratch takes about 4 or 5
>days using wheat flour and about 3 or 4 days using rye flour. Since
>Ed's starter revival technique involves adding new flour, and it
>takes several refreshments to get the revived starter going, it is
>far more likely that the revived starter is actually a new sourdough.
That's something which had never occurred to me. Why not? It makes
such good sense!
I take my 'starter' from the fridge three days before I want to make
bread and once the full amount of dough is made I leave it overnight.
It would take the same length of time if I began with flour and water
three days before I wanted to make bread AND give me a bit of shelf
space in the fridge.
Thanks, Werner :-)
...
>If you consider your nearly-dead starter to be just a piece of
>spoiled food rather than a family heirloom,
I've never thought about mine like that but I know some do.
>... Once you start over you will likely find that for occasional
>sourdough baking, starting over each time makes better bread and you
>don't throw anything away.
Throwing anything away is anathema to me so I never do it with 'starter'.
>I can't remember where I read these guidelines but they make sense to me:
>
>If you don't bake often you are not likely to keep refreshing your starter.
Now that there are only two of us with small appetites, rather than
seven with enormous appetites, I only make bread about every two
weeks - unless the ravenous hordes are expected :-
Mary
--------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n015.2 ---------------
From: debunix
Subject: Re: Steaming technique
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:34:34 -0700
Will Waller wrote:
>I found a way to do steam that's cheap, dead-easy, and foolproof.
This is brilliant, can't wait to try it!
--diane in los angeles
--------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n015.3 ---------------
From: debunix
Subject: Re: Starter storage
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:41:05 -0700
>What grabbed me about this is that you say you keep your starter in
>a sealed jar.
The key is to keep it in a container with enough room to double or
triple its volume without leaking out of the container, where the
seal will give before the jar wall does, and also protect it from
drying out and other food odors in the fridge.
I have used several things with good success for this: canning jars
with metal lids work great; without the heat processing the rubber
ring won't seal tight enough to prevent the fermentation gasses from
escaping; a special ceramic crock with a wire-bail to hold the lid
down reasonably tightly; and my favorite that I use now, a 1 quart
ceramic jar purchased in a chinese market that has a 2-piece lid--an
inner and outer piece--that is quite easy to clean.
A simple bowl plus a plastic baggie with the loose end twisted not
too tightly and tucked under the bowl, or clipped with a clothespin,
works fine for rising and proofing doughs but is less sturdy for
long-term starter storage in the fridge.
--diane in los angeles
http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/WholeBaking.html
http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html
--------------- MESSAGE bread-bakers.v109.n015.4 ---------------
From: chasebusiness@sbcglobal.net
Subject: what is a jug net?
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:23:53 -0700 (PDT)
I googled and can't find out what it is.
Linda
Blessya' bunches from Linda
chasebusiness@sbcglobal.net
http://justastitchintime.blogspot.com
--------------- END bread-bakers.v109.n015 ---------------
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